Crafting Titles

Novelists throughout history struggled to find their titles. They, like us, began with a "working title," often considering several possibilities before landing on one that fits.

Titles do matter. When you arrive at the right one, everything falls into place. Titles represent what is important in a story, and they convey a tone, an emotion, and sometimes a genre. Titles entice readers or drive them away.

Analyzing classic and contemporary fiction, from all genres, Elizabeth Lyon decodes why...